chickens?

Yes, I think so!

Spending some time thinking about how we are going to bring some cluck, cluck chickens into our lives. I am scoping out the scene around our house, reading books, visiting feed stores and, most importantly, trying to imagine these sweet birds pecking around me. I have much to learn. And it sounds like a bit of time to absorb it all and let it soak in. Chickens will arrive in these parts (in all parts?) in about a week but I have been told to wait until end of March/beginning of April to get my little brood going.

I am mostly excited about the possibility of fresh eggs. But I also like the allure of backyard chickens. I like the the homey, farmy quality about them and I like the idea of my kid's caring for them. You know, instilling responsibility and such. And I am not alone! Chickens are making a comeback and seem to be joining many suburban and urban families...they are not just for rural folks anymore! I have been told they are easy to care for. I am intrigued. Nervous but intrigued.

Does this look like a good home for chickens?

We have an outbuilding on our property. The rumor is that back when our home was a school, in the 1930's, the ranch kids tied their horses to this building before coming into the main schoolhouse. Neat, huh? Well, much has changed since those days but I like the romance. The owners before us put in a dog door and heated a small area of the building for our cold, long winters. They then had an area adjacent to the building fenced in. I thought the heat indoors and fenced in area sounded like the makings of a chicken coop.